TAKING SHOT AT HISTORY ISLAND FASHION COULD BE FIRST FILLY TO WIN BIG 'CAP.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ARCADIA - Horses of most every stripe have won the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during between its 1930s debut as the audacious ``hundred grander'' and its renewal Saturday as a $1 million fixture: A Triple Crown blue blood (Affirmed) and a working-class hero (John Henry). A steeplechaser steeplechaser a horse schooled in and used for steeplechase racing. (Azucar) and a reformed sprinter (Mr Purple). Mortal locks (Round Table, Prove It) and long shots (Bay View, Martial Law martial law, temporary government and control by military authorities of a territory or state, when war or overwhelming public disturbance makes the civil authorities of the region unable to enforce its law. ). SoCal natives (Best Pal, Tiznow) and South American-breds (Siphon siphon (sī`fən, –fŏn), tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. , Malek). A 3-year-old (Stagehand stage·hand n. A worker who shifts scenery, adjusts lighting, and performs other tasks required in a theatrical production. stagehand Noun a person who sets the stage and moves props in a theatre ) and an 8-year-old (Olhaverry). A white-coated star (Vigors) and a Technicolor star (Seabiscuit). But one large thoroughbred demographic has not been represented in the Big 'Cap winner's circle. In the event's 66 runnings, fillies and mares have tried 40 times to charm the trophy away from their male rivals. None has won it. Two ran second. Enter a filly named Island Fashion, whose owner and trainer are not discouraged by the gender's failures in the Santa Anita Handicap - and seem to be excited by the challenge as they seek a historic first. ``He likes to compete. I like to compete,'' trainer Marcelo Polanco said, referring to breeder-owner Jeffrey Nielsen. ``The filly likes to compete.'' Island Fashion's presence in the 1 1/4-mile race brings sex appeal to a nine-horse field led by Pleasantly Perfect, the Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. winner last fall, and Southern Image, a fast-rising colt. Assigned 115 pounds, eight less than Pleasantly Perfect, and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, she's the 10-1 fourth choice in the morning-line odds. It will be an upset if the 4-year-old, gray daughter of Petionville wins. Although it's not uncommon for fillies to outrun out·run tr.v. out·ran , out·run, out·run·ning, out·runs 1. a. To run faster than. b. To escape from: outrun one's creditors. 2. colts at age 2 or 3 - Regret, Genuine Risk and Winning Colors won the Kentucky Derby - that's in part because female thoroughbreds often develop faster than males in a fashion similar to human kids. In older horses, males usually hold a physical edge on females of corresponding class. ``(A filly) has to be damn good'' to beat colts, Richard Mandella, the Hall of Fame trainer of Pleasantly Perfect, said at Santa Anita after the post-position draw Wednesday. Some outstanding females have come up short in the Santa Anita Handicap. Next Move (1951) and Gamely (1969) finished second. Miss Grillo (1949) and Two Lea (1950) were third. Serena's Song (1996), the last filly to try, was seventh. But Polanco thinks Island Fashion's sharp form in her recent La Brea Stakes The La Brea Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses open to three-year-old fillies. The La Brea is at a distance of seven furlongs on the Santa Anita Park dirt track. A Grade I event, it offers a purse of $250,000. and Santa Monica Handicap The Santa Monica Handicap is a race for thoroughbred race horses run at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt at Santa Anita Park. The Grade I race is open to fillies and mares age, three and up, and offers a purse of $250,000. victories, and her success at 1 1/4 miles in last summer's Alabama, will make the difference in her first shot at males. The Santa Anita Handicap is the 10th of 11 races on a card that starts at noon. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 kevin.modesti(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Alex Solis, seen here riding Seattle Borders, will ride Pleasently Perfect in the Santa Anita Handicap. Associated Press Box: SANTA ANITA HANDICAP LINEUP |
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